In distance education systems institutional policy provides the basis for almost all activities associated with providing education and training to students. These policies are normally framed within national or regional policies and an institutional mandate or mission. But the policies that govern an institution's relationships with its main components-faculty and students, for example-are usually established by the institution itself, as in conventional education. Such policies must recognize that the nature of distance education-with the physical gap between an institution and its students-often necessitates a view of teaching and learning and of supporting activities that is very different from that adopted by conventional institutions.

A key to ensuring that mandates or missions are carried out and that institutional policies are implemented is development of a strategic plan. This plan becomes one of the primary instruments of institutional policy and provides the framework for allocating and managing resources and accommodating institutional change and development.

Discussions of institutional policy issues need to address such questions as these:

• What are mandates and mission statements in distance education?
• What is strategic planning in distance education?
• What are the main faculty policy issues in distance education?
• What policies help in managing institutional change?
• What are the policy issues relating to resource allocation in distance education?
• What are the main student policy issues in distance education?
• What copyright and ownership issues arise in distance education? 

More resources:

양영선, 2002, "가상교육의 운영 및 설계 요인과 효과성 연구 동향 분석", 교육정보방송연구, 7(3), pp. 49-71